


The Adoption

by kendallnicola



Series: Adventures of IronDad and Spider-ling [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe, Angst, Anxiety Disorder, Cancer, Dad!Tony, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Pre-Iron Man 1, Son!Peter, Terminal Illnesses, The Parkers and Starks Were Science Bros, Therapy, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-12 22:49:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11746809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kendallnicola/pseuds/kendallnicola
Summary: "In the event that Benjamin Parker or May Parker cannot take care of Peter Parker, he is to go to his god father, Anthony Stark, who has agreed in this Last Will and Testament to adopt said boy. Furthermore..."edited 5/20/18





	1. O N E

**Author's Note:**

> Padrino is the Italian term for god father.
> 
> edit: so my sister told me this seems rushed but that's on purpose. sometimes when you read my writing it's like reading a marathon.

_"In the event that Benjamin Parker or May Parker cannot take care of Peter Parker, he is to go to his god father, Anthony Stark, who has agreed in this Last Will and Testament to adopt said boy. Furthermore..."_

 

Peter was only five years old when his parents were killed in a plane crash. Tony was only thirty-seven years old when he watched the black box footage of his two best friends being assassinated mid-flight. They both put on their best suits and cried at a funeral together. Peter cried because, on some level, he knew what dead meant and he understood what his Padrino had been talking about the past few days. Tony cried because Rich was his right had man, they were brothers. His death was just one more to add on to the family tree.

 

Two months went by after the funeral, after putting Peter’s parents in the ground. Two agonizing months of emptiness and Tony knew exactly how Peter felt. Being orphans is just another box to check on the list of things Peter and Tony have in common. Tony still liked to see Peter, every day in fact, after the funeral. It was a humid Tuesday afternoon, Tony had only been up for two hours, when he got a call from Ben. It wasn't out of the ordinary; Peter liked to talk to him more often than he saw him. He like to tell his Padrino all about Kindergarten and what he got up to that day. Tony answered the phone, ready to talk to his munchkin.

 

Ben started talking before Tony could get a hello in, "Tony, it's May. She- she's in the hospital. The doctors found multiple masses during her last mammogram. They're running more tests right now. Peter’s here with us, I need you to come get him.”

 

Tony took about five seconds to process Ben’s stiff, whispered word vomit before jolting himself back to reality.  "Uhh, yeah. Give me ten and I'll be there. Memorial hospital by your place right?" Tony grabbed a set of keys out of the bowl on the kitchen bar, his wallet, and raced down to the garage.

 

"Yeah, that one. I gotta go, the doctor’s about to take May for some scans. Thank you, Tony.”

 

"Anytime, Ben, you know it." Tony told JARVIS to tell Happy to tell the new girl she was getting a promotion to executive assistant and the details of what was going down with May. He made it to Queens in seven minutes even with traffic. Turns out, calling in that old favor with Detective Stacey can sure get traffic moving. In the whole seven minutes it took to get to Queens Memorial, Tony arranged to have May moved to an advanced medical facility in upstate New Jersey. It would be quieter there and she would get much better care.

 

He made it to May's room but Ben was sitting on the floor outside, leaning on the wall.

 

"Ben, what's going on? Where’re May and Peter?"

 

"They’re inside,” He gestured to the room door to his right, “Tony, May only has months. The cancer's fucking all over, in almost every fucking lymph node. I- I don't know what to do, Tony. I just lost my brother and now I'm going to lose May. I can't, I just fucking can't. I-" Tony unceremoniously slid to the floor next to Ben and pulled him into a tight hug. He eventually let go but kept an arm around Ben's shoulders. _We must look like the most blessed mess on Earth right now_ , Tony thought.

 

"Hey, I already got everything set to transfer her to a facility in North Jersey. I'm paying for everything. You guys are strong; you can help her fight this. Now this was your breakdown moment. You have to get in there and hold together for her breakdown moments. Capiche?" Ben pulled away, wiped his eyes, and stood up.

 

"Okay. I haven't told Peter yet that he’s going to be staying in Manhattan with you. So I guess surprise to him." Tony snorted in a dry chuckle and pushed open May's door.

 

Peter was sitting on May's lap, looking at a magazine with her. There were dried tear tracks on their faces, evidence of hearing and understanding the news. They both looked up at the door opening. May smiled and Peter's eyes lit up like May's scans must have.

 

"Padrino! You're here! It's so sad. Aunt May is sick and thmf smf hmtf!" The rest of Peter's sentence is muffled by Tony's shoulder after Peter launches himself into Tony’s arms. Peter just keeps on talking and Tony can't understand a word of it. It doesn't matter though because he’s holding Peter and when he has his god child in his arms he feels like nothing can go wrong in the world.

 

"Hey, Pete. You're going to come stay at the tower while Aunt May and Uncle Ben go away for a while so Aunt May can try to get better. That's alright with you?" Tony looked a bit apprehensive. He knows Peter loves his Padrino to death but the thought of Peter not wanting to live with him tears at his heart. He glances over to May who gives him a reassuring smile and a nod.

 

"Are you for real?! I'd get to live with you and Happy even though sometimes you make him not happy? Yes, I want to live with you! A million bajillion times yes!" Peter looked to everyone in the room, like he was checking to make sure he wasn't being played for a fool. (Where he picked up that saying, no one knows.)

 

"Okay. Well we'll stay here a little while longer and then we can swing by the apartment and pick up some stuff. Sound good?" Tony looked to Ben on that question.

 

"Yeah that's fine. He can honestly tell you what he needs better than I can. I'm at work before he's even up." Ben sighed and ran a hand over his face. He moved from his spot in the corner of the room to on the other side of May's bed, across from Tony. He took his wife's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

 

"We've got this," Is all May said before she dozed off into an afternoon nap, not even waking up when a young technician brought her to some x-rays.


	2. T W O

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Peter were able to finalize the adoption. By the time Tony could legally call Peter son, they had fleshed out a routine with school, work, and fun time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> who tf obidiah. nuh unh not in my fic. Tony stopped selling weapons on his own when he adopted Peter, but not soon enough for Hydra to get Wanda and Peitro. Pepp and Happ are sleeping together but that doesn't really pertain to this fic just wanted to get that out there!

Even with the advanced care and new and experimental treatments, May only made it thirteen months. She went peacefully. The doctors let her come back home to Queens and she passed in her bed, in Ben’s arms. Ben thought he was prepared for the death of his soulmate. It had only been planned for the last year or so. May had planned her funeral to the T. Instead of throwing himself into preparations and planning, Ben lost himself in a bottle. He hadn’t seen Peter in months and was spiraling. After the funeral he hit the road and never looked back. Two month later they were scraping him off the pavement of an interstate in Texas with a blood alcohol content four times the legal limit to drive.

 

Tony opted for a quiet funeral, for Peter’s sake.

 

Tony and Peter were able to finalize the adoption a month after Ben passed. By the time Tony could legally call Peter his son, they had fleshed out their routine with school, work, and fun time. Mornings were a routine all on their own with Tony learning how to cook something new every morning to find Peter’s new favorites. After school it was what little homework elementary school students had and then father and son would tinker in their workshop until supper time. Tony would usually cook for supper with the help of Peter. On special occasions, progress reports and break throughs in the shop, they would get all fancy and go eat at their favorite restaurant.

 

The new girl, Pepper Potts, who Tony made Executive Assistant, helped a great deal in guiding Peter through their everyday life where Tony couldn’t. Sometimes Tony’s advice lacked a sort of feminine, maternal touch that Pepper could offer Peter. She did much more than what her job description said she should and Tony dared to say she loved his son. First grade English was tough for Peter who had a stammer the size of the world, but Pepper had the patience of a saint. She would sit on the floor with him for hours, going over his homework from speech therapy and they would just talk and talk. She helped Peter gain his confidence, the confidence he needed to get his voice in life.

 

Tony also dared to say he was sent an angel. Pepper went with them to all of Peter's therapy sessions. The psychologists all said that his stammering was directly stress and confidence related and only talking to the therapists and time would help with it. At the advice of the therapists, Tony talked to Peter about what his mom and dad were like, trying to ease any anxieties about that. They also talked about May and Ben but not as often as they talked about his mom and dad. Tony, Peter, and Pepper never shied from 'big' or worldly topics. Peter could understand anything if you just explained it to him.

 

Pepper even brought up the idea for Peter to switch schools, thinking that maybe he was being bullied. The thought of his son being bullied had never even crossed Tony's mind. He thought Peter would come to him with any problem and that Peter would trust him with anything. Pepper told him that even six-year-olds have pride; especially one with so much exposure to Tony. Tony tried not to take offence to that observation, but he could understand where Pepper was coming from. After taking in over in their next therapy session, Tony decided to put away his pride for now for the sake of his son.

 

The very next day, a Saturday, Tony woke Peter up and they made their way to the roof of Stark tower. They brought their blankets to shield themselves from the wind because their pajamas didn’t do a very good job of keeping them warm. Tony had made them milkshakes and French fries (a rarity for breakfast) and they were snuggled under Peter's Captain America blanket.

 

"Hey Pete, what do you think about moving out of the tower?" Peter's head snapped up to look at his dad in alarm. He almost dropped his plate of fries trying to juggle keeping his blanket on himself and holding the milkshake. Tony grabbed it from his and held it out for him to eat off of.

 

"No, I want to s- stay with you!" Peter scrabbled over the pebbles on the roof and hugged Tony's waist, forgoing his breakfast altogether.

 

"No, Pete. I'm talking about the both of us, and Pepper and Happy would still be there. It would be a place smaller than what we have now. Homier. What do you think?" Tony ran his hand through Peter's hair and he finally let go of Tony's waist.

 

"C- can I see the h- house first," Peter asked shyly.

 

"Sure thing kiddo. Now let's watch this sun rise."

 

Peter ended up loving the estate in The Hamptons that Tony had picked out for them. It was big enough that Pepper and Happy had their own wings if they wanted. Happy usually took the offer to stay the night. Pepper usually only stayed about half of the times she was offered (she was basically running a company now). It was also small enough that Tony and Peter could just call out if they needed each other now. In the tower, everyone was on a different floor and there was no communication. Sure, Peter’s room was directly across from Tony’s in the tower, but the living room and the workshop were fifty floors apart. It was nice to have a homier home. Peter loved the feeling his new home had.

 

They lived in the estate until Peter was fourteen and got accepted into Midtown Science High School. It was a school for gifted kids and it mostly specified in, well, science. Peter was beyond good at science. It was in his blood and the way he was raised. It was in the air around him 24/7. Going from his private school at The Hamptons to a public high school in Queens was going to be a big difference but Peter knew he’d make friends there.

 

The world didn't know that Peter Parker was Tony Stark's son. The world knew that he was close to Tony. Peter was always in and out of the Avengers tower as an intern once he was older. He would be by Tony's side as an assistant on family business trips. Tony also came to some of his school functions. They were always spotted together, and the rumor mill was always going but nobody ever guessed the very obvious. Peter Parker was Tony Stark’s adopted son.

 

To be fair, though, it would have been very hard to guess it. Tony designed special electric masks that could be programmed and mapped specifically to someone's face. Peter had used them a lot growing up and when they travelled. It's not that Tony was ashamed of him or anything; he was scared for Peter's safety. Tony was Tony Stark, genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and that paints a target onto both of their backs.

 

This became especially true after Tony became Iron Man. Peter hadn't left his father’s side for weeks after Tony came home from the cave. Peter thanked his Uncle Rhodey endlessly for bringing his dad home. Things were even worse after the Battle of New York. The only thing that kept Tony sane during that mess was knowing that Peter was on the plane to D.C. with Pepper and not in the tower with Loki and a Hulked-out Bruce Banner.

 

Not even the Avengers knew that Peter was Tony’s son. Sure, they'd seen him once or twice in passing while Peter would be making copies of something or doing something dumb that seemed important, but never paying any actual attention to him. Peter liked to be seen and not heard as a young child and Tony was okay with that. None on the Avengers ever laid eyes on him for more than five seconds at a time and that's how both Tony and Peter liked it. Once Peter got bitten by a radioactive spider on a tour of Oscorp’s laboratories as Tony's assistant, Tony knew nothing could change with respect to his identity .

 

Except, Peter's attitude had changed for the better. He finally started coming out of his shell. He’d make jokes with the security guards at the tower, have conversations with people at school outside of his friend group, and make friends with people online. He had made friends with most the staff and had even started mouthing off to Tony sometimes. Tony didn't call him out on all of his sass. He loved watching his kid bloom into a little socialite with his group of close friends. Tony also like to watch Peter's sassy quips bleed into his vigilantism. It usually got him hit and sometimes it was what he deserved but damn was it funny.

 

Tony helped Peter build his suit because he knew his kid, and Peter would want to know every spec inside and out. Tony also knew that Peter would go out there in red and blue pajamas to fight crime and sass criminals if he had to. So, Tony made him bullet proof, water proof, and fire proof, and taught him how to fight. Tony even helped Peter build his first AI, Karen

 

As Peter patrolled the streets of New York City; Tony watched from the sky. He kept an eye on his son. He watched him kick ass and never stepped in unless absolutely necessary. (I. E. nearly getting a building dropped on him by a crazy winged man.)

 

And half the time, he might just be wearing a Spider-Man shirt under his armor. After all, he is Spider-Man's number-one fan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If tony had been there from like the second peter was bitten, peter would have been much more prepared and he would have had some help on how to handle his powers. so Here's That. Here's tony supporting everything peter does. Here's good dad!tony who is nothing like howard and he knows it.
> 
> come yell on tumblr
> 
>  
> 
> [grassmagic](grassmagic.tumblr.com)

**Author's Note:**

> I head cannon that Tony's favorite nanny was Italian and a lot of her mannerisms stuck with him. All of what he knows on how to raise and actually care for a child come from her and Jarvis.
> 
> come yell at me on tumblr
> 
>  
> 
> [grassmagic](grassmagic.tumbr.com)


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